Crimean Solidarity reported about it.

Dozens of protesters gathered outside the building, disagreeing with the accusations against the man.

“The so-called government has reached its lowest level, mocking the elderly, giving them, so to speak, life sentences. All their actions speak of incompetence", - commented Eskender Saliyev, one of the listeners who came to the trial.

Law enforcement officers also came to the Russian court and explained to the audience about the “inadmissibility of violating sanitary norms.

“I warn everyone about non-violation of law No. 54, so that there are no rallies, meetings, and other things! In the Rostov region, we have government decree No. 272 - ​on observing the mask regime, I am asking you to keep your distance and wear masks!", - the Deputy Head of Police Department No. 5 warned loudly.

The defenсe side insisted that nothing was found on Zekirya Muratov that would connect him with calls for an attempt to overthrow the "government" in Crimea, with activities related to the dissemination and study of the ideology of terrorist organizations (literature in the form of books, brochures, newspapers, approved by the list Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation). They did not find any drugs, weapons, explosives, ammunition, or other items prohibited by the legislation of the Russian Federation.

There were also no plans, draft plans, and sketches of such plans, models, and other items that would prove an attempt to plan for the forcible seizure of power in Crimea and the Russian Federation.

“Our client is convinced that today he is being persecuted by the state for dissent, for his active civil position - he was a volunteer, attended court hearings on administrative and criminal cases against his compatriots; and in this connection, he insists that he should be tried following the norms of international law. That is why Muratov Zekirya, a Crimean Tatar, a Muslim, a citizen of Ukraine, who was forced to obtain a Russian passport, considers himself a political prisoner", - lawyer Emine Avamilova said.

Source: Crimean Solidarity

The defence also criticised the audio recordings and their research as evidence for the prosecution. The investigator, in their opinion, committed gross violations since the party was deprived of the opportunity to know the content of the object of the study, the subject, and boundaries of the study, and was not able to formulate questions to the expert as well as to propose the candidacy of experts.

In addition, independent experts determined that the "Expert opinion in a criminal case" submitted for review by O.S. Palekhy and I.A. Mukhametzaripova meets the requirements of special court documents prepared as part of special court investigations into extremism and terrorism.

Defender Lilya Gemedzhi, in her turn, described in detail all the charges against Zekirya Muratov.

"Today, we are witnessing a very cruel and absurd conveyor of criminal prosecution not for specific actions, but opinions and conversations, - she said.

In her speech at the debate, the lawyer referred to international law and the need to apply the Geneva Convention to Zekirya Muratov as a citizen of Ukraine in the occupied territories.

What is known

• Zekirya Muratov is a Crimean Tatar with a third-degree disability, has many diseases: high blood pressure, heart failure, heart disease, numbness of the left leg, frequent falls, muscle atrophy. The man has kidney issues. He experiences constant attacks of severe pain. Muratov underwent several operations: inguinal hernia, umbilical hernia, gallstone disease, chronic hypertension.
• In the summer of 2021, the political prisoner contracted COVID-19 in remand prison. In critical condition, he was rushed to the MOTB-19 prison hospital in Rostov-on-Don with a diagnosis of "bilateral pneumonia". He had a 50% lung injury. Earlier in March, he suffered a hypertensive crisis.
• He spent 48 days in the ward, but despite his difficult condition and lawyers' requests, the court remanded Muratov in custody, continuing the pretrial detention according to the prosecutor's regular statements.
• The Crimean Tatar was detained in Alushta on July 7, 2020, during mass searches on charges of committing a crime under Article 205.5 of the Criminal Code.
• The Islamic political party Hizb ut-Tahrir has been banned in Russia since 2003. The organisation operates without restrictions on the territory of Ukraine and most countries of the world.

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